Trump Doesn’t Care What the Iran War Is Costing American Families

For millions of Americans already stretched thin by years of rising costs, the war in Iran has made things measurably worse — higher gas prices, faster inflation, and a cost-of-living squeeze that shows no signs of letting up. On May 12th, President Trump was asked directly whether any of that was pushing him toward a deal. His answer stopped many people in their tracks.

When a reporter asked whether Americans' financial situations were motivating him to negotiate an end to the war in Iran, Trump replied without hesitation: "Not even a little bit."

"I don't think about Americans' financial situation," Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn before boarding a flight to China for meetings with President Xi Jinping. "I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all."

The comments came on the same day the Labor Department reported that inflation accelerated last month at its fastest pace since May 2023, driven largely by energy costs tied directly to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A Costly War Landing on Everyday Americans

Since the United States began military operations against Iran in February, gas prices have climbed past $4.50 a gallon nationwide. Those increases are hitting the lowest-income Americans the hardest, piling onto a cost-of-living crisis that was already wearing on household budgets well before the war began.

Trump, for his part, insisted that his broader economic policies were working "incredibly," and predicted relief ahead. "The American people understand when it's over, you're going to have a massive drop in the price of oil," he said. He also pointed to inflation data from just before the war began: "If you go back to just before the war, for the last three months, inflation was at 1.7 percent."

But he made no apologies for the trade-off. "Now, we had a choice — let these lunatics have a nuclear weapon," he said. "If you want to do that, then you're a stupid person."